Time for a CHANGE

I'm very tired of the right-wing, trickle down Republicans saying that none of the mess we are in now is G.W.'s fault. As my father once said, sometimes people can't see the wall in front of their face until they smash into it. I thought having a never ending war, a collapsed economy, less individual freedoms as people, and a national deficit was wall enough; however, there are still those who believe we must protect the big business men who will protect the rest of us. I say screw the rich! I say help the farmers! I say help the middle class! I'm sick of the big business game plan which always seems so eager to send the poor and middle class boys and girls off to fight for property rights and oil drilling sights. You can color shit anyway you want to it still smells like shit and if you really want to make sure my Republican brothers, take a bite and be sure it tastes like it to. 

NO MORE YEARS of the BUSH linage.

I am casting my proxy for OBAMA! 

Husker Season Underway and Under Water

Although I am an expat living in Bangkok, my blood is Husker red. I love the fact that the university of Nebraska got rid of a coach who was hell bent on ridding our program of the traditions our program had developed over the past 40 years. He did not understand the Husker Nation and it was easy to see his moves were hurting our program and running it into the ground. Now, we are rebuilding with a new coaching staff, many new players, and yet for us OLD fans it is difficult to watch the modern big red.

Missouri had not beaten Nebraska in Lincoln in 30 years. They dealt out a 30 year ass kicking on Saturday that no one in the land of red is going to forget any time soon. It really hurt to see this disaster.

I suppose we just have to be patient and let the new staff develop their ideas about the team, but man is it hard to see us this meek.

Visiting my old boss LARRY

Coups, Criples, and Visitors

Sometimes it is amazing how life can be going in multiple directions at once. I have felt the sting of another birthday, wondered of my mortality -- as is the tradition of such an event -- and come to the conclusion that it will wait, death I mean, at least for a while. So what do I do with what is left? That's always the question isn't it. Now I'm at the big 40, I've lived through it and made it all the way to 41. I can't even imagine it in actuality. What does one do when they were a child of the 80's living wild and free with the firm belief that life was to be lived as death had to be coming soon; however, here I am 20 years later still breathing.

So many odd events are happening in Thailand. We have a political stand off. One in which elected officials, who no one thinks achieved their elected office honestly, are being protested against by a group of college professors, middle class workers, and intellectuals. What about democracy? Well you know, some times a nation is not ready for completely democracy. This is the cause of the PAD who are out in the streets in force to protest the current government. But let me write about their cause on another day.

In truth, my last few weeks have been horrible. I turned 41, and this was a very nice evening. I spent it with 4 close friends and enjoyed a nice dinner and then hung out on my roof and drank wine together. A nice evening even though my wife had to work and could not attend. But shortly after this night things went down hill.

It began with my close friend Dr. Jim attempting to use my laptop. My laptop and I have a harmonic co-existence, but I seldom share her. Jim seemed to be struggling to use him and at one point he yelped when the screen blinked as if it was closing down. The sound startled me and I shot out of my couch and directly to the floor. My entire back was locking up systematically like a series of doors being closed in a prison. And a prisoner I became. 

My back seized up so completely and so painfully that very quickly I found myself incapable of leaving my home or even my floor for that matter. I've heard of lower back injuries, but from a simple thing like a friend's surprised expression? I work out 3 to 4 days a week. I play basketball and badminton, sports that are physical and demanding and I never get hurt. I bounce off collisions and laugh off the bruises. How could this happen?

I missed my first day of work in 3 years. Then luck was on my side and the stress about the demonstrations closed our school for most of last week. It was good to be lucky. If you see being in so much pain I couldn't even sit up in a chair as lucky? At least I didn't miss work.

I must say I don't feel old, and yet, here I am still struggling up stairs and watching while my students -- calling to me as they race to the court -- head out to play basketball without me. I must say I'm not too happy about 41 so far, but maybe all the pain is just the beginning of the year and by the end there will be joy again.

We never Talk anymore

Sound and vision create a bit of a mood video. A struggle between friends. A masterpiece in the background, created by David Bowie. One tornado of energy and one waterfall of power. Yet still, in the end, friends!

Bangkok Rain

Bangkok rains are hard and relentless. The street flooding is dangerous; however, a lot of fun to go driving around in. Whats a little rain without massive splashing!

The King is Naked

  I’m about ready to rant… Okay, so this is the thing. I’m sick and tired of name brands and labeling, packaging and marketing, spin and branding. In Bangkok today and sadly I would guess all over the world, the independent craftsman or restaurateur is disappearing at an alarming rate and being replaced by corporate foods and designer rehashing of all the same old fashions. Honestly I knew the sickness was spreading out of control when someone decided that the ugly brown and gold of LV was beautiful. Please, just throw the golden LV on a shit-brown purse or pair of shoes and girls will swoon. “Oh honey, I wish I could have a Louis Vuitton. It is so beautiful; it is such a remarkable color and design.”

I got to say I’m scratching my head here, am I the ONLY person on the planet that realizes LV, crafted in their ‘oh so tediously recognizable’ shit-brown color, is hideously dreadful? I’m not saying we should judge all things by its visual qualities, perhaps these LV bags have sturdy zippers or thread woven from the virgin butts of Martian worms or something, but the point is quality or not they are putrid pieces of rubbish to look at. 

   Come on planet Earth, put something on that looks good on you. I’ll let you in on a little secret; the factories in Asia which are cranking these products out are also making the cheep stuff sold at half the price. “Oh Sim, no there are made from a better quality of leather.” “What kind of cow is higher quality? Is this a cow that studied at Stanford or something instead of City College?” 
Here is my advice, tear those labels off. Wear something that looks good. Take the difference between the ugly stuff you were going to buy and the cheap stuff I’m recommending, and DONATE that money to www.siminoe.com , which is struggling to survive. My staff hasn’t been paid in months. I'm guessing LV doesn't need your money.

Husker Glory years and New Beginnings

It's August and College football camps have opened all over the USA. In honesty, I love my life here in Thailand, but there is nothing like a fall chill in the air and the smell of freshly cut football grass. I get homesick one time of year, and that is when the leaves begin to turn, the pads begin to pop, and the polls spur the only worth while discussion in America: WHO IS NUMBER 1?

Beware of the day the SUN goes away

WOW, August is coming in with a magical solar eclipse. This of course happens when the Gods of the ancient world have not been appeased by blood. It is important for people in Canada and norther regions of Russia and China, to quickly sacrifice an oxen or sheep in order to protect their village from this horrible event. Please check the video by National Geographic for more information, but don't take too long, as we all know if the sun leaves our planet we will all be FROZEN in seconds. Don't be responsible for such a disaster. KILL SOMETHING NOW!

Reality Is … So Unreal

The butterfly effect is a concept that really gets my mind reeling. It is the basic theory that even the smallest event or stimulus can create, over a long period of time or a short abrupt period of time, reactions somewhere else in the world. It all began with that famous quote about a butterfly:

"The phrase refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. Of course the butterfly cannot literally cause a tornado. The kinetic energy in a tornado is enormously larger than the energy in the turbulence of a butterfly. The kinetic energy of a tornado is ultimately provided by the sun and the butterfly can only influence certain details of weather events in a chaotic manner."

Now something so infinitesimally small, so insignificant and minute, changing a tornadoes path could be seen as inspiring – shockingly so. Yet, I hold to this contemplative fear, "what if that tornado was supposed to miss me, and now it's headed right for my new 3.5 million baht home, 'to which I have no tornado insurance.'"You see when fate or cosmic karma is out to balance or unbalance the scale, it just might be me or you who is about to weigh in and that sucks. I mean every situation begins with something, in movies they say it's the plot point – you know our divergence from the normal into the drama of our story. Consequently, any time I start to feel bored and do a lot of thinking about what bolder in my life is teetering ever so ominously on some cliff I'm destined to walk beneath, I have to remind myself "maybe there is a super butterfly that could fly between me and that bolder and smash it to pieces with its little wings?" But then again, maybe not?

My Genius is in the Coffee

An article on MSNBC has confirmed a long standing suspicion of mine. My Genius may be a result of my massive use of coffee. Study sessions at university in which we crammed an entire semester and 3 or 4 text books into a 24 hour enlightenment period, always made me wonder, "is it the incredible effort I'm putting in which is giving me the good grades, or is it just the coffee?" Researchers created a list of 4 foods which help memory recall and slipping in at number 4 is every teacher's friend, every cop's life blood, black gold, coffee. Now this is wonderful news for me, because I've always indulged myself with coffee as a pick me up which can aid me through my less than stimulating day as a high school teacher. 

Now if they can just come out with a study that says watching movies and eating cake all day will help me to understand quantum physics, then I will be really happy. 

Article from MSNBC:

Coffee (adjust to your personal tolerance)
Good news for coffee lovers. About two years ago, researchers from the University Innsbruck in Austria found caffeinated coffee can temporarily sharpen your focus and memory. After giving volunteers the caffeine equivalent of about two cups of coffee, they observed that their brain activity was increased in two locations—one being the part responsible for memory. Results were observed using MRI technology. Without caffeine, there was no increase in brain activity. 

Then, earlier this year, another study published in a leading Neurology journal, found the effects of coffee may be longer lasting — specifically in women. This four-year long study involving about 7000 participants... all participants went through thorough baseline evaluations – cognitive function was tested, along with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other vascular issues. Participants were re-evaluated at the two-year mark, and again at the four year mark. 

At the end of the four year period, researchers found that women age 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee per day (or the caffeine equivalent in tea) had 33 percent less decline in memory over time than women who drank one cup or less of coffee or tea per day. The results held up even after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect memory abilities, such as age, education, baseline cognitive function, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, medications, and other chronic illnesses. This caffeine-memory association was not observed in men — the authors hypothesize that perhaps that’s because men and women metabolize caffeine differently.

So if memory problems are a major concern for you, and if you don’t have a medical condition that precludes caffeine, feel free to indulge in a cup or two in the morning to jump-start your brain.

Luc Besson RULES with BEAUTY

The Fifth Elemnt she is "Perfect"

Recently I installed a projection system in my new home. It is so cool to see movies on a 92 inch projection screen and to hear the powerful surround sound, that I basically only leave my house for work and food. One of the great pleasures in having a new system to view movies is pulling out old favorites and watching them again. It has been during this glut of film indulgence that I have come to realize just how much I love Luc Besson. 

Luc Besson is one of my favorite film directors. I know every film school nerd loves to babble on and on about Kubrick -- yes, yes, the patience the calm, he is a brilliant director -- but for my box office bucks I love Besson. He certainly does not have the track record of a Spielberg or Lucas, but what is amazing about Besson is his ability to tell a story. To tell it to an audience that may or may not understand much about science or even fiction, and to use compelling characters to tell his stories. 3 of my favorite films of all time, and I've seen far too many films to make this statement, are Besson's famed jewels: La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element, and Leon The Professional. Action films with a sense of humor, romance, color, and most importantly a human factor that far too many directors fail to access.  Leon is one of the most singular character in any film, and his relationship with his adopted young lady is magical.

If you have not seen all of his films, check his bio by clicking on the title of this article. You will be taken to an article about his retirement in 2006 which goes into great detail about his career. Chose one of his 10 films and rent or buy it and check him out. You won't be disappointed. 

Motorcycle Taxis go to WORK

It is the year 2551 here in the Kingdom of Thailand. Sometimes I feel like the nation is trapped in the 50's of the west. I mean there is an innocence here very similar to that of the 1950's in America. We have a steadily and rapidly emerging middle class, we have young people who are the first family member to graduate from a university, we have ice cream shops packed with students on giggly dates, movie theaters, ice skating rinks, and so much focus on teen life. But, in other ways I feel this county is way ahead of the west when it comes to technology. Phones here are, as a group more advanced for the money, banking is so much easier as everything can be done with the ATM machine.

So as I look to the future of the planet I think perhaps the planet will be looking at Thailand for its answer. You see for decades here we have had the motorcycle taxi. Now if you want to get anywhere at any time of day, there is really only one vehicle which can deliver -- the motorcycle taxi. These crazy people are willing to slip through seems in the gridlock that many needles would shy away from. When the street becomes completely impassable, the sidewalk or even fields beside the road can become a viable means to an end. As gas prices seem to be soaring beyond all expectations, and more hikes expected on a weekly basis, I will suggest for the rest of the world that you should introduce the motorcycle taxi. It's cheap, it's doable, and they can go to places your car could never dream of going anyway.

Most importantly the PRICE IS RIGHT! Motorcycles will be making a huge comeback in the coming decade, because cars and cheap fuel are about to become a thing of memory. Truthfully, who can spend 30% of their monthly earnings to cover transportation? This number was thrown out as an estimate of spending by middle class citizens on the planet Earth. I for one, moved closer to my work and plan to do as much WALKING as I can.